Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (2024)

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Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (1)

Three reasons you shouldmake lemon whey pie:

1. Itis amouth-watering way to use up extrawhey- a very common problem if you make a lot of cheese or own dairy goats or cows.

2. It’s delightfully old-fashioned and just happens to come from the 1965 edition of the Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook which belonged to my grandmother.

3. It’s really, reeealllllly good. Really.

It hasofficially earned a spot in my recipe collection. Now I justneed to update my popular 16 Ways to Use Whey post and change the number to 17!

Is it the most super ultra-nourishing pie you’ll ever find? Er, probably not. Yes, it’s made with real food, but it does include a generous amount of sugar, and the whey is cooked, not raw….

That being said, to me, dessert is, well, dessert, and I don’t feel bad about splurging every once and a while. Especially on a vintage pie like this one.

(Like usual, some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may or may notget a small commission if you purchase something after clicking on the link. It doesn’t cost you any more, but any commission I receive helps to support the work I do here on the blog, so thank you!)

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (2)

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 pre-baked 9″ pie pastry shell(Get my super-simple recipe that uses healthy fats here.)

Filling:

  • 1 1/2 cups whey (it must be fresh whey, any sort of powdered whey stuff will not work. Here’s my post that explains more about real whey.)
  • 1 cup organic sugar (or if you must, regular white sugar will work in a pinch)
  • 3 1/2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch
  • 3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue topping below)
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use this one)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (I like the 100% real organic stuff like this kind)

Meringue Topping:

Filling Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bring 1 cup of whey to a boil in a medium saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, arrowroot powder, and the remaining 1/2 cup of cold whey until it forms asmooth paste.

Add thepaste mixtureinto the hot whey, stirring constantly until itthickens.

In another small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks and combine with the butter, salt, and lemon juice.

Pour a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture and stir. This is called “tempering” and it ensures that you don’t end up with bits of scrambled eggs in your lovely lemon whey. (Trust me, that’s less than charming…)

Add the tempered mixture back into the saucepan, and cook the entire concoction for an additional two minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the filling into the prebaked pie shell, and set aside while you prepare the meringue.

Meringue Instructions:

Use an electric mixer (I use my Kitchenaid) to beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl until the entire mixture is foamy, but not yet starting to thicken.

Begin to add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat thoroughly after each addition. You are looking for the sugar to dissolve completely. (Otherwise, your meringue will “weep,” whichproduces the tiny droplets that you can see in my photos. Thankfully, weepy meringue still tastes just as yummy as non-weepy meringue.)

Once all of the sugar is added, continue to beat the mixture at medium-high speed until it forms stiff, sharp peaks when you lift the mixer from the bowl.

Once you reach that stage, it’s ready for your pie.

Place large spoonfuls of the meringue around the edges of the pie and use the back of your spoon to gently “seal” it to the crust. This will help keep it from shrinking. Once you have a ring of meringue around the outside, dump the remaining meringue in a mound in the center and smooth out evenly.

You can use the back of your spoon to make the little spikes you see in my photos.

Carefully place the pie in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Allow it to cool on the counter before serving.

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (3)

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Old-Fashioned Lemon Whey Pie

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (4)

Ingredients

  • 1 pre-baked 9″ pie pastry shell
  • Filling:
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh whey (not powdered)
  • 1 cup organic sugar (like this)
  • 3 1/2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder (like this) or organic cornstarch (like this)
  • 3 egg yolks (save whites for meringue topping)
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use this one)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (like this)
  • Meringue Topping:
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (like this)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (I use this one)
  • 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
  • 6 Tablespoons organic sugar (like this)

Instructions

  1. Filling Instructions:
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. Bring 1 cup whey to boil in medium saucepan
  4. In separate bowl, whisk sugar, arrowroot powder, and remaining 1/2 cup cold whey until it forms a smooth paste
  5. Add paste mixture into the hot whey, stirring constantly until it thickens
  6. In another small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and combine with butter, salt, and lemon juice
  7. Temper by pouring a small amount of the hot mixture into egg yolk mixture and stirring, to ensure you don’t end up with bits of scrambled eggs
  8. Add tempered mixture back into saucepan, cook entire concoction an additional two minutes, stirring constantly
  9. Pour filling into prebaked pie shell
  10. Set aside and prepare meringue
  11. Prepare Meringue:
  12. Use electric mixer to beat egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl until entire mixture is foamy, but not yet starting to thicken
  13. Begin to add sugar, one tablespoon at a time
  14. Beat thoroughly after each addition
  15. Dissolve sugar completely to prevent “weeping” droplets from forming on your meringue
  16. Once all sugar is added, continue to beat mixture at medium-high speed until it forms stiff, sharp peaks when you lift mixer from bowl
  17. Place large spoonfuls of meringue around the edges of pie and use back of spoon to gently “seal” it to crust to help keep it from shrinking
  18. Once you have a ring of meringue around the outside, dump remaining meringue in a mound in center and smooth out evenly
  19. Use back of spoon to make little spikes like you see in my photos
  20. Carefully place pie in preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes
  21. Allow to cool on counter before serving

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (5)

Kitchen Notes:

  • I haven’t tried this recipe with any sort of alternative sweeteners. I’m pretty sure that Stevia wouldn’t work very well, and I’m worried that Sucanat would give it too much of a molasses-taste. If you decide to experiment, come back and let me know how it worked!
  • If I know we aren’t going to eat this pie right away, I stick it in the fridge.
  • My book saysone teaspoon of lemon juice can be substituted for the cream of tarter in the meringue. I haven’t tried that substitution yet, but it sounds like it would work.
  • Don’t want to make meringue? Try baking the curd, and then serving it with a generous dollop of sweetened whipped cream instead.
  • As written, the meringue on this pieisn’t very tall. If you are looking for a sky-high pile of meringue, increase the recipe to 5 egg whites and 10 Tablespoons of sugar.

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (6)

According to the Complete Pie Cookbook, farm wives commonly used leftover whey in their pies to help stretch the more expensive lemon juice. And you’d never know the difference- it tastes exactly like “pure” lemon meringue pie to my taste buds. 🙂

It’s the ultimate, old-fashioned end to a summer BBQ on the homestead.

Lemon Whey Pie Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (2024)

FAQs

Why is my lemon pie soupy? ›

Water is leaking from the beaten whites (they're 87% water), pooling between the filling and the meringue, and dripping down the sides to the crust. The cause? While the meringue cooks on top when it is put into a hot oven, there isn't sufficient time for the meringue to cook on the bottom.

Why is lemon juice added to lemon pie filling after the starch has thickened the liquid wouldn t this thin the filling? ›

Final answer: Lemon juice is added to lemon pie filling after the starch has thickened the water to preserve the right texture. The acid in the lemon juice can break down the starch-water gel, thinning the mixture.

How do you make a pie less watery? ›

Here are some tips to prevent runny apple pie.
  1. Precook the filling. ...
  2. Reduce the juice. ...
  3. Experiment with different thickeners. ...
  4. Vent the top crust. ...
  5. Try a lattice or crumb top crust. ...
  6. Bake thoroughly — and then some. ...
  7. Let the pie cool completely — preferably overnight.
Sep 19, 2018

How do I keep my lemon meringue pie from getting watery? ›

Beat a mixture of thickened cornstarch and water into the egg whites to bind and stabilize the liquid in the meringue (and keep it from seeping out). Cook the filling for the full 2 minutes on the stove top so the cornstarch thickens completely and doesn't start breaking down and "leaking" during chilling.

What is a substitute for cornstarch in lemon pie? ›

Tapioca starch, which is the same thing as tapioca flour, is another expert-approved substitution for cornstarch. A neutral-flavored powder made from cassava root, tapioca starch works well in baking recipes (like thickening the filling of a fruit pie).

What are 2 thickening agents used in pies? ›

When thickening a fruit pie filling, there are several options to consider. Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency.

Why did my lemon pie not set? ›

The key to thickening Lemon Meringue Pie so it sets properly is to cook the filling until bubbles start to pop on the surface of the lemon/egg yolk mixture. It should be the consistency of thick pudding before you remove it from the heat. If it's not thick before you add it to the pie, it will never set properly.

How do you fix a runny lemon pie filling? ›

Last resort to fix a runny pie
  1. Remove the filling from the pie and add it to a saucepan on the stovetop.
  2. Add a bit of cornstarch (refer to the table above for measurements) and gently heat it to a boil.
  3. Turn the heat down and let the fruit simmer for a few minutes to activate the cornstarch.
Sep 13, 2022

Why is my lemon filling not thickening? ›

The curd wasn't cooked long enough to allow the egg to thicken, or not enough butter was added. How to fix it: To thicken runny lemon curd, put the curd back into your saucepan, place over the lowest possible heat, and stir constantly.

What causes runny pie filling? ›

Allow your pie to bake for the entire recommended period.

People often pull their pie too soon out of fear that it will burn. This leads to runny pie because it prevents the filling from thickening. Check the recommended cooking time, and set a timer.

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